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Top 20 Networking SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store
Last update: 18 Sep 2023 CET
App Store

Top 20 Networking SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store

We at 42matters have identified the 20 most popular Networking SDKs leveraged by iOS apps available on the iOS app market.

Networking SDKs are developer tools that provide networking functionalities for mobile apps. They enable developers to build apps capable of communicating with servers or other devices over a network, without having to build these capabilities from scratch. Network SDKs typically facilitate network requests, response handling, authentication, and more.

This list is based on our analysis of the millions of mobile applications – and the 2,300+ SDKs they use – that constitute the vast inventory of the Apple App Store. The accompanying data provides readers with a glimpse into the rich mobile application insights generated by the 42matters technology. This data is also available via our APIs, file dumps, Explorer, and SDK Explorer.

The intended purpose of this article is to assist app builders in their search for the perfect Networking SDK to leverage in their app, as well as to give SDK developers insight into their biggest competitors and potential customers. This data collected by our technology may also serve as a useful tool for folks researching the wider mobile app market.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 47.27% have integrated Nanopb. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Total Apps
414.26k
App Store
App Share
47.27%
App Store
Apps
381.64k
Games
32.62k
Total Downloads
99.55b
App Store
Download Share
49.82%
App Store
App Downloads
69.89b
Game Downloads
29.66b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Nanopb.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 38.03% have integrated AFNetworking. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

AFNetworking is a delightful networking library SDK for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It's built on top of the Foundation URL Loading System, extending the powerful high-level networking abstractions built into Cocoa. It has a modular architecture with well-designed, feature-rich APIs that are a joy to use.

Total Apps
173.75k
App Store
App Share
38.03%
App Store
Apps
163.47k
Games
10.28k
Total Downloads
59.52b
App Store
Download Share
29.79%
App Store
App Downloads
51.49b
Game Downloads
8.03b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use AFNetworking.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 24.27% have integrated Alamofire. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Alamofire is an HTTP networking library SDK written in Swift.

Total Apps
173.65k
App Store
App Share
24.27%
App Store
Apps
172.31k
Games
1.34k
Total Downloads
43.51b
App Store
Download Share
21.77%
App Store
App Downloads
40.98b
Game Downloads
2.52b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Alamofire.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 8.96% have integrated Kingfisher. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Kingfisher is a powerful, pure-Swift library SDK for downloading and caching images from the web. It provides you a chance to use a pure-Swift way to work with remote images in your next app.

Total Apps
67.35k
App Store
App Share
8.96%
App Store
Apps
66.97k
Games
377
Total Downloads
17.71b
App Store
Download Share
8.86%
App Store
App Downloads
17.41b
Game Downloads
304.04m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Kingfisher.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 6.15% have integrated gRPC. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

gRPC is a modern open source, high-performance RPC framework SDK that can run in any environment. It can efficiently connect services in and across data centers with pluggable support for load balancing, tracing, health checking, and authentication.

Total Apps
60.88k
App Store
App Share
6.15%
App Store
Apps
58.28k
Games
2.60k
Total Downloads
39.11b
App Store
Download Share
19.57%
App Store
App Downloads
37.36b
Game Downloads
1.75b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use gRPC.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 4.48% have integrated Starscream. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The Starscream SDK is a conforming WebSocket (RFC 6455) library in Swift.

Total Apps
36.03k
App Store
App Share
4.48%
App Store
Apps
35.73k
Games
307
Total Downloads
11.49b
App Store
Download Share
5.75%
App Store
App Downloads
11.18b
Game Downloads
310.09m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Starscream.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 4.26% have integrated AlamofireImage. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

AlamofireImage is an image component library SDK for Alamofire.

Total Apps
29.94k
App Store
App Share
4.26%
App Store
Apps
29.78k
Games
155
Total Downloads
6.75b
App Store
Download Share
3.38%
App Store
App Downloads
6.70b
Game Downloads
46.39m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use AlamofireImage.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 6.80% have integrated ASIHTTPRequest. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

ASIHTTPRequest is an easy to use wrapper SDK around the CFNetwork API that makes some of the more tedious aspects of communicating with web servers easier. It is written in Objective-C and works in both Mac OS X and iPhone applications.

Total Apps
21.71k
App Store
App Share
6.80%
App Store
Apps
19.80k
Games
1.90k
Total Downloads
6.67b
App Store
Download Share
3.34%
App Store
App Downloads
5.43b
Game Downloads
1.24b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use ASIHTTPRequest.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 2.38% have integrated Moya. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The Moya SDK is a network abstraction layer written in Swift.

Total Apps
18.30k
App Store
App Share
2.38%
App Store
Apps
18.05k
Games
248
Total Downloads
9.11b
App Store
Download Share
4.56%
App Store
App Downloads
7.55b
Game Downloads
1.57b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Moya.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.99% have integrated WebRTC. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

With WebRTC, you can add real-time communication capabilities to your mobile apps. It supports sending videos, voice, and generic data between peers, allowing developers to build powerful voice- and video-communication solutions.

Total Apps
17.19k
App Store
App Share
1.99%
App Store
Apps
17.09k
Games
95
Total Downloads
11.63b
App Store
Download Share
5.82%
App Store
App Downloads
11.39b
Game Downloads
240.01m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use WebRTC.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 2.17% have integrated CocoaAsyncSocket. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The CocoaAsyncSocket SDK provides easy-to-use and powerful asynchronous socket libraries for macOS, iOS, and tvOS.

Total Apps
16.97k
App Store
App Share
2.17%
App Store
Apps
16.82k
Games
151
Total Downloads
5.93b
App Store
Download Share
2.97%
App Store
App Downloads
5.88b
Game Downloads
49.24m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use CocoaAsyncSocket.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 2.10% have integrated Socket.io. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Socket.IO is an SDK that enables real-time, bidirectional and event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

Total Apps
15.13k
App Store
App Share
2.10%
App Store
Apps
14.96k
Games
168
Total Downloads
3.33b
App Store
Download Share
1.66%
App Store
App Downloads
3.19b
Game Downloads
135.01m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Socket.io.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.80% have integrated Google APIs for Objective-C for REST. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Total Apps
11.51k
App Store
App Share
1.80%
App Store
Apps
11.35k
Games
156
Total Downloads
2.32b
App Store
Download Share
1.16%
App Store
App Downloads
2.19b
Game Downloads
127.78m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Google APIs for Objective-C for REST.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.56% have integrated AlamofireObjectMapper. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The AlamofireObjectMapper SDK is an extension to Alamofire which automatically converts JSON response data into swift objects using ObjectMapper.

Total Apps
10.48k
App Store
App Share
1.56%
App Store
Apps
10.43k
Games
44
Total Downloads
2.01b
App Store
Download Share
1.01%
App Store
App Downloads
2.00b
Game Downloads
11.78m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use AlamofireObjectMapper.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.40% have integrated PINRemoteImage. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

PINRemoteImage is an SDK that offers a fast, non-deadlocking parallel image downloader and cache for iOS.

Total Apps
9.97k
App Store
App Share
1.40%
App Store
Apps
9.94k
Games
29
Total Downloads
6.17b
App Store
Download Share
3.09%
App Store
App Downloads
6.16b
Game Downloads
8.48m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use PINRemoteImage.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.24% have integrated SocketRocket. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

SocketRocket is an SDK that offers a conforming Objective-C WebSocket client library.

Total Apps
8.32k
App Store
App Share
1.24%
App Store
Apps
8.25k
Games
72
Total Downloads
3.98b
App Store
Download Share
1.99%
App Store
App Downloads
3.84b
Game Downloads
145.09m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use SocketRocket.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated AlamofireNetworkActivityIndicator. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The AlamofireNetworkActivityIndicator SDK controls the visibility of the network activity indicator on iOS apps.

Total Apps
4.14k
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
4.13k
Games
11
Total Downloads
1.27b
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
1.27b
Game Downloads
1.22m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use AlamofireNetworkActivityIndicator.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.15% have integrated CXML. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

CXML is a streamlined protocol SDK intended for consistent communication of business documents between procurement applications, e-commerce hubs, and suppliers.

Total Apps
4.09k
App Store
App Share
1.15%
App Store
Apps
3.96k
Games
135
Total Downloads
765.31m
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
698.32m
Game Downloads
66.99m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use CXML.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated MQTT-Client-Framework. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The MQTT-Client-Framework SDK is a native Objective-C iOS library. It uses CFNetwork for networking and CoreData for persistence. It is a complete implementation of MQTT 3.1.1 and supports TLS.

Total Apps
3.25k
App Store
App Share
<1%
App Store
Apps
3.03k
Games
221
Total Downloads
3.23b
App Store
Download Share
1.62%
App Store
App Downloads
2.87b
Game Downloads
358.13m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use MQTT-Client-Framework.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 2.49% have integrated RestKit. This accounts for 88% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

RestKit is a framework SDK for consuming and modeling RESTful web resources on iOS and OS X.

Total Apps
2.99k
App Store
App Share
2.49%
App Store
Apps
2.99k
Games
7
Total Downloads
1.21b
App Store
Download Share
<1%
App Store
App Downloads
1.21b
Game Downloads
44.53k

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use RestKit.

Browse iOS and Android SDKs With the SDK Explorer

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    See how many apps integrate specific SDKs, how many times these SDKs have been downloaded, developer details, similar SDKs, and more.

  • New Installations and Removals HistoryNew Installations and Removals History

    Analyze installation and removal trends for SDKs. Discover which apps have removed or integrated specific SDKs in a given timeframe.

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    See which app categories or genres are most likely to use specific SDKs. Detect SDK market share per category.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does 42matters collect this data?'

We’ve developed a number of machine learning algorithms that scan millions of mobile and connected TV (CTV) applications on a regular basis. In addition, we collect ground truth app performance intelligence and use this data to build statistical models that estimate the performance of apps for which we do not have ground truth data.

What SDK data does 42matters collect?'

We track over 2,300 of the most popular SDKs integrated in iOS and Android apps. We collect a variety of SDK insights (title, platform, ID, category, and developer website); performance metrics (the number of apps that have installed each SDK, installation and removal trends, and app downloads); market share statistics (including market share per app category); and more!

How can I access 42matters’ SDK data?'

The most direct way is to use our SDK Explorer, which is a visual, web-based research platform that enables you to peruse all 2,300+ SDKs that we track. It’s great for market research, lead generation, competitor analysis, etc. However, more technically-inclined folks might prefer our APIs and File Dumps, which enable you to query info for specific apps or SDKs. You can also use our other research platforms (the Explorer and App Watchlist) to view integrated SDKs by app.

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to generate app publisher leads?'

Absolutely! We actually wrote about this on our blog. We focused on ad network SDKs, but the examples are applicable to most SDK types. To summarize, you can use the Explorer’s advanced filtering capabilities to home in on best-fit app publishers, leverage the SDK Explorer to see which apps use your competitors’ SDKs, and use our APIs and file dumps to build custom lead generation processes.

What data does 42matters provide on mobile apps?'

A ton! We track 17+ million apps across Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent MyApp, and Huawei AppGallery. Our solutions provide access to app details (developer insights, metadata, ASO keywords, contact information, etc.); performance metrics (downloads, MAUs, ratings, reviews, top chart rankings, etc.); technical insights (integrated SDKs, permissions, required capabilities, etc.); content details (categories, genres, IAB categories, content ratings, etc.); compliance information (app-ads.txt, privacy policies, store status, etc.) and much, much more!

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to find SDKs for my app?'

Definitely. The SDK Explorer enables you to sort SDKs by category, identify similar SDKs, analyze SDK reliability, and more. In addition, you can use the App Watchlist and Explorer to monitor your competitors, including which SDKs they add and remove, their current tech stacks, and SDK changelogs. This means you use our solutions not only to find the right SDK for a particular purpose, but also which SDKs you might need to keep up with your rivals.